Laemtong Hotel, Chon Buri, 2 hours South East of Bangkok. I'm in a serviced apartment for a couple of nights while I attend a course on Safety, Fire Fighting and Helicopter Emergency Procedures. Bit of a mouthful that.
Today we got to don masks and find our way through pitch-black smoke-filled containers, with nothing but our wits to guide us. We also used all the different extinguishers on all the different kinds of fires. Very macho, and insufferably dull.
On getting to the apartments I discovered there's a gym and pool, and the gym has an exercise bike that actually works. Hurrah! Half an hour later, and suitably shaved and showered, I'm off for dinner.
Tomorrow it's dunking in the pool (brr, must be 25 degrees in there) for rescue techniques, also first aid. Wednesday we get to be "Crashed" in a mock helicopter into the pool, and inverted. Then we have to find our way to the surface without drowning, showing signs of panic, or otherwise embarrassing ourselves. After that we get our stifkit and are free to do as much offshore work as we want.
Home on Friday, can't wait.
